Top 5 Obstacles for Self-Driving Cars

While there are many safety benefits, autonomous vehicles have not yet been perfected. Sure they don’t drive drunk or send text messages while driving on the expressway, but they still have their shortcomings. Neal Boudette of The New York Times recently reviewed the Top 5 things that are giving self-driving cars issues while they continue to develop:

1) Unpredictable Human Error Accidents

While self-driving cars use computer algorithms in order to obey the rules of the road and other basic driving functions, they have no control over how other drivers behave. What is a self-driving car to do when a manually driven car goes 20 miles per hour over the speed limit or is barreling down a one-way street going the wrong direction? Boudette writes, “One solution is to equip cars with transponders that communicate their position, speed and direction to other vehicles. This is known as vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and it is similar to how airplanes avoid each other in the air.” 

2) Bad Weather Accidents

Self-driving cars can easily navigate Michigan roads during the summer months, but what happens when snow, ice and fog start to factor into dangerous road conditions? Autonomous vehicles utilize cameras that track lines on the pavement in order to keep the vehicle in its lane, but that becomes a problem when snow is covering the ground. As Boudette points out, a large puddle cased by a heavy rainstorm may look like blacktop to the car’s sensors. “In reports that Google and others have filed with California authorities about their on-road tests of autonomous cars, weather was a prime cause of system failures after which human drivers had to take back control,” Boudette reports. 

 

3) Detour Auto Accidents

 As road conditions and road repairs develop, maps can become out of date quickly. This can become an obstacle for self-driving vehicles such as Google’s cars which “rely heavily on highly detailed three-dimensional maps- far more detailed than those in Google maps- that communicate the location of intersections, stop signs, on-ramps and building with the cars’ computer systems.”

 

 

4) It Might Be a Puddle. Or Not. 

Self-Driving cars struggle to differentiate between obstacles in the road such as puddles, potholes or an oil spot. Using their radar, lasers and HD cameras to scan the roads, the vehicle can only scan what is on the road surface, not what’s below. Boudette recalled a recent ride he took in a self-driving car when the vehicle unexpectedly slowed down because it was confused by a dark area on the road which turned out to just be a shadow from an overpass. 

“Google and other companies hope more precise laser-based sensors, known as lidar, and other technology will make it easier for driverless cars to spot potholes-as opposed to shadows-and avoid them. Another possible solution: smart roadways that communicate with automated vehicles and warn them of hazards ahead like traffic accidents and potholes,” Boudette explained. 

 

5) Making Tough Decisions 

Perhaps the most complicated of them all, self-driving vehicles may be forced to make tough and complicated ethical driving decisions. Boudette gives an example: “In the midst of busy traffic, a ball bounces into the road, pursued by two running children. If a self-driving car’s only options are to hit the children or veer right and strike a telephone pole, potentially injuring or killing the car’s occupants, what does it do?” For now, there is no concrete answer to this dilemma. 

While we wait for self-driving cars to work out the kinks, we still need to pay attention to human drivers who struggle to make the right decisions while on the road. If you or somebody you know has been involved in a car accident, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Work with a lawyer who is experienced in handing accidents of all sizes.  Our legal team will work alongside you to identify your area of needs and get you the appropriate help. Call us today at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

Driving While Watching Porn Causes Michigan Man's Death

The Michigan State Police recently investigated a car accident in which a 58 year-old man crashed his car and died while he was watching porn on his phone while driving. The incident occurred around 3:30 A.M. on a Sunday when a car was reported to have crashed on the ramp from Lodge to I-75, in Detroit, Michigan. The driver of the car was later determined to be Clifford Ray Jones of Detroit, Michigan.

Jones's 1996 Toyota rolled on the ramp causing Jones to be ejected from the driver's seat and thrown out of the sunroof. Furthermore, after the investigation determined that Jones was distracted by the porn video on his phone, it was also revealed that he was not wearing a seat belt.

According to Lt. Mike Shaw, this is one of the many cases that he has seen where technology distracted drivers. However, this was the first time he had seen a person watching porn on his phone, as the form of distraction. He stated that ‘We see people putting on makeup, we see people doing different things as far as hygiene, as far as reading books, it’s almost to the fact there’s so much technology out there, a lot of people are more paying attention to what they’re doing other than driving their cars.”

Whether it is talking on the phone while driving, texting while driving, using GPS, or another phone function, using technology can be deadly for drivers. It should be considered common sense to not watch a movie on a phone while driving. However, many people have a habit of using technology while driving and believing that situations like Mr. Jones's could never happen to them. Though this particular incident may seem like a peculiar outlier, it should be considered a serious warning to those who use their phones while driving, as it ended in a man's death. Even if drivers are willing to put their own lives at risk by driving while distracted, they should consider the lives of those driving around them. One missed phone call or one missed text message could save a life.

If you know someone or are someone has a victim of a distracted driver, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Speak to a lawyer who is experienced in handling all types of Michigan motor vehicle accidents, including those involving technology and other forms of distracted driving accidents. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM, for a free consultation. Don't let a distracted driver's bad decisions hinder your recovery.

Michigan Bill Will Transfer Road Funding From Cities to Residents

A bill was passed by the Michigan legislature recently that could change the funding formula for how repairs to freeways and highways are paid for. With Governor Snyder’s approval, the bill would change a funding system which has been in place since 1951. 

Traditionally, larger cities were responsible for paying for part of any freeway or highway project that came through their city limits. Many expensive road repair projects in Michigan are needed in the near future, including a $1 Billion project on I-75. -The Michigan Department of Transportation told the Detroit Free Press that most of the road funding comes from the state and federal levels, and cities provide as much as 2.5% of the total cost. When the project costs millions, 2.5% can be a large bill for some Michigan cities. 

“This bill will mean more taxpayer dollars from home will stay at home, so that the city roads we drive on most often can be repaired.”

If Snyder signs the bill, the cities would no longer be responsible for paying for the projects. Cities would then be able to take the saved money and aim it towards repairing local roads instead. To make up for the fiscal gap that cities would leave when it comes to paying for freeways and highways, MDOT would pick up the bill, meaning the extra cost would be spread across all Michigan taxpayers. “The bill will protect cities like Troy, Madison Heights, and Detroit from unexpected large bills during freeway projects, but it also means that road users statewide will bear the cost when surface roads like Woodward, Gratiot, Groesbeck, 8 Mile, Ford Road and Michigan Avenue are reconstructed," Jeff Cranson, MDOT Communications Director, explained.

The Michigan Senate bill was sponsored by Senator Marty Knollenberg from Troy, whose constituents were going to take on a tab of more than $9 million for Troy’s share of the I-75 project. The project, which includes a rebuilding and expansion of 17 miles of I-75 in Oakland County, will take 15 years to complete. “This bill will mean more taxpayer dollars from home will stay at home, so that the city roads we drive on most often can be repaired,” Knollenberg said in a statement. 

While Michigan roads may not be in the best of shape, poor road conditions can cause damage to your vehicle, and can even make you lose control of the car. If you or somebody you know has been involved in an auto accident caused by poor road conditions, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Car accidents can lead to short term and long term emotional and physical injuries, and our legal team will work alongside you to find the best solutions for your situation. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

Camero, Challenger, And Mustang Fail to Meet Safety Standards

Sport cars attract thrill-seeking car enthusiasts because of their high speeds and bold performance, but they can also lead to increased risks for car accidents to occur. If drivers believe that car manufacturers build these types of cars to have more safety features than normal cars, they might want to think again. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted tests on three of the most popular sports cars in the United States: the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger. The IIHS put these vehicles through its full crash-test circuit for the first time ever, and concluded that none of the cars reached the standard threshold for safety recognition. All three sports cars came up short of both "Top Safety Pick+" and "Top Safety Pick" status, a standard that 65 other 2016 models reached. “These vehicles have high horsepower and they’re driven at higher speeds, and they’ll crash at higher speeds, so you’d like them to have strong protection, but none of them earned Top Safety Pick,” IIHS President Adrian Lund told Autoblog.  

On the IIHS’s small-front overlap test, which recreates the impact of the front of the car with a fixed object such as a parked vehicle or a tree as if the car was traveling at 40 miles per hour, the Camaro was the lone vehicle to earn a “good” ranking. The Challenger had “limited survival space for the driver” according to researchers. The small-front overlap is a vital indicator of a vehicle’s safety performance because “when these vehicles go off the road in a single-car crash, it’s often in a small-overlap configuration,” Lund stated. 

After taking the performance cars through each of the five crash tests, the Challenger was deemed the worst-performing car out of the three. The Mustang was the closest to earning Top Safety Pick status, according to Lund. A key safety feature for these types of cars is basic crash-warning systems installed to alert drivers when a collision is imminent. Both the Mustang and the Challenger were equipped with this technology, while the Camaro was not. “What we’re seeing here is these vehicles are lagging behind on the crash-avoidance features that are being built into family-type cars,” Lund explained. 

This type of revelation about the safety performance, or lack thereof, for these sports cars will hopefully get manufacturers attention going forward and will become a priority in designing the sports cars of the future. In the meantime, it can be difficult for potential car buyers to sift through the different safety features that vehicles offer, as terminology can be wildly inconsistent. Car shoppers should remember to ask their dealership about a vehicle's safety features and make sure they understand what it means and how it works. 

Whether it's a sports car or mini-van, auto accidents can happen in a split second. Unfortunately, the physical and mental damage from an accident may carry on for a lifetime. Broken bones, brain injuries, memory loss, and nerve damage are some of the possible long-term effects from a crash. If you or somebody you know has been injured in an auto accident, including those that may have been prevented by better safety measures, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

New Study Reveals Link Between Brain Injuries and Homelessness

New evidence related to Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) can now be linked to people who experience homelessness. Veterans, who account for one-third of the homeless, tend to be the common denominator when it comes to the relationship between homelessness and brain injuries.  

Dr. Mark L. Gordon, an endocrinologist with experience in the area of TBIs with the Millennium Health Centers, has partnered with the Warrior Angels Foundation to successfully treat over 100 veterans suffering from TBIs. The partnership has also led to detailed research and surveying of homeless people in the United States which has revealed that there is a probable relationship between homelessness and TBIs. 

Homeless In America Statistics: 

  • 69% of homeless citizens said they had been in a car accident
  • 77% asserted they had fallen off a roof or out of a tree, etc.
  • 74% reported they had been mugged
  • 75% declared they had been beaten up or hit very hard in the head
  • 80% said they had been hit hard enough to “see stars” or get their “bell rung” and confused with headaches and general irritability

In Search of Causes & Cures

Dr. Gordon, Richard Troxell (House the Homeless), and John Lozier (National Health Care for the Homeless) are working together to identify and explore treatment of TBIs and how it directly affects homelessness. Dr. Gordon believes that TBIs are a “causative factor for accelerated hormonal deficiencies” such as depression, anger outbursts, anxiety, mood swings, memory loss, inability to concentrate, learning disabilities, and strokes. When searching for an origin, Dr. Gordon is looking at the pituitary gland, which is found at the base of the brain, and is considered the master gland and controls many other functions. Studies have shown that between 50-75% of veterans with TBIs show some loss of pituitary function after the injury. 

A potential solution for people suffering from TBIs which has proven to improve the hemostatic state of the individual even years after the initial injury is restoring the hormones (neuro-steroids and neuro-active steroids) to their pre-injury level. Dr. Gordon has said that these types of procedures have shown a 50-100% improvement in the individual. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 35% of all TBIs can be attributed to falling, 17% to Traffic accidents, 16% to striking or striking into another object, and 10% caused by assault.  Brain Injuries can cause serious damage to a person's mental and physical well being. Traffic accidents, according to the CDC, are the leading cause of death related to brain injuries. Often times, TBIs cause hidden symptoms that don't immediately present themselves. If you or somebody you know has been involved in an accident that may have caused slight to severe damage to the head, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC.  Our attorneys understand the seriousness of head injuries and will get you the assistance you need to recover from the accident. Call us today, 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

Digging Deeper Into Car Safety Features

Thinking about buying a new car soon? You might want to do your homework on the safety features before closing the deal. While virtually every new car is proclaimed to be “the safest car yet,” there are still differing opinions on what truly makes a car safest for drivers. Confusing terminology and differing safety features that cars offer can make choosing a car difficult, and requires potential car buyers to take a closer look.

One safety feature that can cause confusion for buyers and dealers alike, is the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system. AEB uses sensors which are mounted on the front end of a car to detect when a driver is about to have a collision and hasn’t done anything about it, and will apply the brake system for the driver. According to The Telegraph, this technology has reduced the chances of a rear-end collision by nearly 38%. It is expected that as systems such as AEB spread and become more popular, insurance premiums will have decreased by 43% worldwide, by 2035. 

Unfortunately, there has been confusion over which variation of AEB is most effective or even what to call it. Most manufacturers don’t refer to it by the standard term, and buyers are hardly aware the technology even exists, which results in buyers not being able to ask the appropriate questions about the safety feature. 

Making things even more confusing for consumers, is the fact that there are currently three different variations of the system: laser-based, radar-based, and camera-based. Results have shown that combined a radar and camera-based system proves to be the most effective, but due to the expensive cost of the technology, most vehicles are not being fitted for these combined features. 

For prospective car buyers, it’s important to be thorough in inquiring about the safety features of the cars they are interested in. Before looking at different car options, buyers should do research online to find information on different safety features that are offered. 

If you or somebody you know has been involved in an accident, including those caused by defective safety measures, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Our attorneys are experienced in handling all types of auto accidents, and will get you the help and answers you need. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation.

Michigan State Police Enforcing Distracted Driving Laws

Drivers might want to think twice the next time they want to send a text or take a Snapchat while driving around the Sterling Heights, Michigan intersection of Hall Road and Schoenherr Road. Police have promised to crack down on distracted driving around that intersection, as it has been ranked by the Michigan State Police as the 8th most dangerous intersection in Michigan. 

The tight enforcement of distracted driving will be a team effort, as the intersection falls on the city borders of Utica, Sterling Heights, and Shelby Township. The video news story posted on ClickOnDetroit this morning featured an officer pulling over a driver who was traveling 60 mph, which is well over the posted speed limit of 45 mph. Going 15 miles per hour over the speed limit is legal grounds for a reckless driving ticket. Within a time frame of less than an hour, officers at the intersection pulled over several other drivers for careless driving, reckless driving, and distracted driving. 

“This is a matter of life and death. We have people on the streets dying in the United States of America because somebody felt it was so important to respond to a text or an email while driving,” Sterling Heights Police Department Chief John Berg said. The tri-city effort to curb distracted driving in the area is being called “Operation Blue Light”. 

As previously stated, this intersection is ranked the 8th most dangerous intersection in the state of Michigan. Leading causes to this ranking are the speed that drivers travel at on Hall Road, as well as the high volume of traffic the area experiences on a daily basis. Add in a dose of distracted driving, and the likelihood of an auto accident increases dramatically. "If you just look around in your cars you will see everyone on their cell phones, it’s actually kind of embarrassing,” Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide told Local 4 News. 

The enhanced crackdown on distracted driving will begin on June 20th, as police will be looking for drivers who are not paying attention to the road or are using their cell phones while driving. The police departments want drivers to know that they are not doing this to simply write tickets, but to save a life instead. Traffic signs and billboards will be scattered throughout the area to bring awareness to drivers. 

If a driver feels it is necessary to use their cell phone while in the vehicle, they are strongly encouraged to pull over and come to a complete stop before sending a message or picture. Distracted driving is becoming a dangerous trend in the United States. Cell phones are estimated to be involved in 1.6 million automobile accidents each year, leading to 6,000 fatalities, according to Don’tTextandDrive.com. 

Distracted drivers not only put other drivers' lives at risk, they also put their own lives at risk. No text or email or picture is worth ruining someone's life over. If you our somebody you know has been injured in an auto accident because of distracted driving, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Our attorneys realize the long-term physical and emotional effects a car accident may have on a victim, and they will not rest until you get the help that you deserve. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation. 

ROSS Artificial Intelligence Joins Legal World

Artificial Intelligence may play a large role in shaping the future of the legal field. Law firm Baker & Hostetler has announced that they will be using IBM’s Al Ross to handle their bankruptcy practice, which consists of nearly 50 lawyers.

 “At Baker & Hostetler, we believe that emerging technologies like cognitive computing and other forms of machine learning can help enhance the services we deliver to our clients,” Baker & Hostetler chief information officer Bob Craig explained. 

Ross has been built on IBM’s cognitive computer Watson and is designed to read and understand language, formulate hypotheses when asked questions, conduct research, and generate responses in order to back up its conclusions. Ross also improves with age, as it learns from its experiences and gains knowledge with more interaction. 

“You ask your questions in plain English, as you would a colleague, and ROSS then reads through the entire body of law and returns a cited answer and topical readings from legislation, case law and secondary sources to get you up-to-speed quickly. In addition, ROSS monitors the law around the clock to notify you of new court decisions that can affect your case,” ROSS website says. 

Ross will also serve as a time efficiency tool, as it will be capable of narrowing down results from a thousand answers to a handful of the most relevant answers and then translates them into an understandable language. As artificial intelligence software like Ross grows, it is expected that more law firms to buy into the system to save money, time, and expand their legal capabilities.

While technology has come a long way and will certainly change the way law is practiced, nothing can replace the personal care and support that a law firm can offer a client. If you or somebody you know has been involved in an auto, motorcycle, or bicycle accident, call The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Our attorneys will go out of their way to get you the help that you need and will be readily available to answer any questions that you may have. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation.